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NeNe Leakes
| died= | hometown= Queens, New York | knownfor= Reality television star | season= Dancing with the Stars 18 | partner= Tony Dovolani | place= 7 | highestscore= 35 (Freestyle) | lowestscore= 21 (Cha-Cha-Cha & Jive) | averagescore= 23.5 }} Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (née Johnson) is a celebrity from Season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. Early Life Linnethia Monique Johnson was born 13 December 1967, in the New York City borough of Queens. She was sent to live with an aunt in Athens, Georgia when she was four, and tried her luck in acting for many years without success. Career Before Leakes met the producers of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, she had appeared on TV shows like The Parkers. In 2003, she had also landed a minor role as a stripper in the film The Fighting Temptations starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé. None of her scenes are present in the final edit of the movie, therefore she is not credited for her work on the production. In 2008, Leakes made her first appearance on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. After the first season, she co-wrote with Denene Milner the book Never Make the Same Mistake Twice. Leakes has been a part of the cast for all seven seasons. Leakes has also transitioned into scripted television, playing sassy secretary Rocky Roades in the NBC comedy The New Normal. Ryan Murphy cast NeNe on his series Glee in the third season in a recurring role as synchronized swim coach and Olympic bronze-medalist Coach Roz Washington. In 2011, Leakes was a contestant in the eleventh installment of Donald Trump's NBC series, Celebrity Apprentice. During the tenth episode of Apprentice, after arguments with fellow cast member Star Jones, Leakes walked off the show. Leakes failed to win any money for her selected charity, "My Sister's House". Leakes has guest-hosted Anderson Live, The Talk, and appeared in Betty White's Off Their Rockers and The Price Is Right. As well as competing in Dancing with the Stars, Leakes played the Mistress of Sensuality in Las Vegas, for resident show Cirque du Soleil: Zumanity in honour of their ten-year anniversary. In July 2014, Leakes launched The Nene Leakes Collection for the Home Shopping Network (HSN). The collection sold out just days after the launch of the line, making it an instant success. In September 2014, it was announced that Leakes would be making her Broadway debut 25 November as she will be joining the cast of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella as the wicked stepmother, Madame. The production closed 3 January 2015, after 41 previews and 770 regular performances. Leakes was set to star in a new reality show on Bravo with ex fellow Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann called NeNe and Kim: The Road to Riches, but it was scrapped before the first episode aired. In June 2015 Leakes announced that she wouldn't be returning to the Real Housewives of Atlanta for the eighth season on her via twitter account. Personal Life Leakes resides in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. She also rents a house in the Hollywood Hills West, Los Angeles She has two sons, Bryson Bryant and Brentt Leakes, and a granddaughter, Bri'Asia Bryant (born June 2012), by the former. She and husband Gregg Leakes separated in 2010, and she filed for divorce 29 April 2010. The divorce was finalized 29 September 2011, after season four of The Real Housewives had finished shooting. In October 2011, Leakes released a memoir describing her experiences with abuse called Never Make the Same Mistake Twice: Lessons on Love and Life Learned the Hard Way. NeNe and Gregg Leakes reunited and announced that they were engaged in January 2013. Bravo filmed their wedding planning and ceremony for a spin-off entitled I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding. NeNe and Gregg remarried 22 June 2013, at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta. Dancing with the Stars 18 On 4 March 2014 she was announced to be one of the celebrities who would compete in the 18th season of Dancing with the Stars. She paired with professional dancer Tony Dovolani. Leakes and Dovolani were eliminated in Week 7 of competition (Latin Night) on 28 April 2014, finishing in 7th place. Scores 1 The additional score of Week 3 was given by Robin Roberts. 2 For this week only, as part of the "Partner Switch-Up" week, NeNe Leakes did not perform with Dovolani and instead performed with Derek Hough. Dovolani performed with Candace Cameron-Bure instead of Leakes. 3 Additional score of Week 4 was given by Julianne Hough. 4 Additional score of Week 5 was given by Donny Osmond. 5 Additional score of Week 6 was given by Redfoo. 6 Additional score of Week 7 was given by Ricky Martin. Gallery NeNe_&_Tony_S18.jpg Nene-leakes-tony-dovolani-DWTS.jpg NeNe Leakes 18.jpg NeNe Leakes S18 1.jpg Category:Females Category:Contestants Category:Season 18 contestants Category:Actors